


The Life We Want

by destieldrabblesdaily



Category: Supernatural
Genre: AU Neighbors, M/M, Strangers to Lovers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-10
Updated: 2015-09-10
Packaged: 2018-04-20 02:10:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,169
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4769642
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/destieldrabblesdaily/pseuds/destieldrabblesdaily
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Based on this prompt: "I caught you swimming in my pool without asking my permission, and I was gonna tell you off, but damn you are too cute."</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Life We Want

Castiel woke up smiling, stretching languidly, blue silk sheets caressing his skin. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d been allowed to wake up like this, on his own terms; no alarm clock, or the sound of his phone ringing persistently. As much as Castiel enjoyed running the Novak family business, being a CEO was hard work. His life consisted of meetings at ungodly hours, long days at the office, and no time for sleeping in.

But Castiel was only human, and so he’d decided that this once, he could get away with taking a Sunday off. He’d instructed his assistant Becky to cancel all of his appointments, and he’d let her know that he’d be turning off his phone for the next twenty-four hours. No business calls today. The only thing he had planned for his free Sunday was a little BBQ get-together with some of his siblings and friends this afternoon, and other than that he would make sure to do absolutely  _nothing._

Throwing back the covers and getting up, Castiel’s grin stretched even wider once he opened the curtains. A captivating sunrise greeted him, painting the sky in soft tints of orange and yellow. Perfect weather. Castiel most certainly had picked a lovely day to stay at home.

The morning sun was reflected in the cool, clear water of the giant swimming pool that took up at least half of Castiel’s back yard, the surface sparkling invitingly, tempting Castiel to take a swim. Castiel considered doing just that, when a sudden movement caught his attention. Stretching his neck to get a better view, he realized that someone was already  _in_ his pool.

“What the…” Castiel muttered out loud as he squinted at the intruder.

Because that was  _definitely_ an intruder; Occasionally, Castiel’s brother Gabriel would let himself in to go for a swim, but the man currently splashing around in Castiel’s pool was clearly  _not_  Gabriel. How rude.

Castiel huffed, having every intention of rushing downstairs and telling the unknown man off. However before he got a chance to even move, he found that the stranger was already climbing out of the pool. At the sight, Castiel abruptly stopped breathing, because his couldn’t possibly be a  _regular_ human being. That was a  _Greek god_ , right there. Strong muscle, tanned skin, soaked sand-colored hair that was sticking out in all directions, and a face possibly carved by angels.

Not caring that he was unabashedly ogling the trespasser like some sort of creeper, Castiel noticed how the beautiful man smiled to himself as he tried to shake off the drops of water clinging to his skin, his entire body practically glowing in the light of the rising sun, his dark green swim shorts more than a little tight.

With a groan, Castiel turned away from the window. This was pure torture. Again, he contemplated going downstairs and giving the man a piece of his mind, but he highly doubted that anything coherent would come out of his mouth once he was face to face with someone  _that_  breathtakingly gorgeous.

By the time Castiel had put on some clothes and went outside, the mystery man was long gone. Oddly disappointed, he couldn’t help but wonder if perhaps he’d been imagining the whole thing…

~

The moon and the sun had traded places hours ago, but it was still fairly warm outside. Castiel’s guests had gone home, but he fondly smiled at the party leftovers as he sat down on the edge of one of the lounge chairs beside the pool, a glass of scotch to keep him company. It had been tremendously relaxing, to have some time to catch up after weeks and weeks of doing nothing other than working and sleeping.

His sister Anna had been there, and Anna’s boyfriend Adam. Gabriel had joined their little party as well, and he’d brought his fiancé Kali. And of course Charlie, Castiel’s best friend since college, had made an appearance. Her new girlfriend Gilda had tagged along, and so far, Gilda seemed lovely.

Castiel took a sip of his scotch, the liquid burning his throat in a way that was almost pleasant. As nice as today had been, there was the usual feeling of bitterness now that he was alone again after spending a day around several happy couples. Always alone. Too busy with work, always trying to do what was best for the company, unlike Anna and Gabriel who had their own jobs there, but didn’t want to have anything to do with the heavy decision making.

Not enough spare time for Castiel to go out and meet someone; he couldn’t even remember the last time he’d been out on a date that wasn’t work related. He swallowed down more scotch, smiling wistfully as the vision that he’d had this morning came back to mind. The vision of the stunning man with the cheeky smile and the messy dark-blond hair. He was sure he’d imagined it, probably his lonely mind teasing him with flashes of what he wished he could have. Not for the first time, Castiel asked himself what it  _truly_ was that he wanted in life.

A sudden rustling sound pulled Castiel out of his sulky thoughts. He all but jumped up from his chair, putting down his glass as he glanced around to see where the noise had come from. The faint glow coming from the string of fairy lights that Charlie had put up earlier, was all he had to work with.

Narrowing his eyes, he gazed to his left, before walking around the pool with careful steps. Castiel paused, now hearing the sound of footsteps that weren’t his own, and then he spotted a silhouette not too far away.

“Hey! What is it you think you’re doing on my property?” Castiel called, his voice echoing against the water.

Half running, Castiel made his way around the pool, surprised that his unwelcome visitor wasn’t doing the same; quite the opposite, aforementioned visitor was simply standing there, still as a stone.

Castiel pulled out his phone to turn it on and use the flash light, gasping when he recognized the man he’d thought had been an illusion; recognized green swim trunks and a familiar handsome face. He slowed down, unsure of what to do next. He’d half expected a cocky smirk from the man, but instead, the attractive stranger was sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck as they stared at each other, standing there beside the pool. For the first time, Castiel was close enough to see the lovely shades of green in those eyes.

“Hey there.” The man offered a greeting with a guilty yet alluring smile, blinking against the light that Castiel’s phone provided. “The name’s Dean, how’s it going?”

Castiel blankly stared at the man,  _Dean._  He was even more gorgeous now that the distance between them had been closed, and Castiel’s heart stuttered like the traitor it was. How was he supposed to give Dean the angry get-off-my-lawn speech, when all he wanted to do was  _jump_  the man? Castiel bravely made an attempt anyway.

“Hello, Dean…” He replied hesitantly, being polite out of habit more than anything else. “May I ask why you’re in my yard, trying to sneak into my pool?”

Dean shrugged, hands tightening around the towel that he’d brought along this time. “Not all of us have a pool in their backyard, man. I just like to come here before and after work to cool off a little.”

Dean’s honesty was surprising to say the least, and it only made Castiel more curious.

“Do you live in this neighborhood?” Castiel continued his interrogation.

“Yeah.” Dean pointed over his shoulder. “I work at Singer’s garage, across the street. Bobby Singer is my uncle, he’s glad that someone’s keeping an eye on things, so he lets me live in the apartment above the garage for free. I can see your huge ass pool from my window, but since you’re hardly ever using it, I figured you wouldn’t mind…”

“I see…” Castiel responded slowly, still trying to process all of this new information. “Although that still doesn’t explain why you thought it would be alright to swim in someone else’s pool without permission.”

Dean bit his lip, as if he was trying to come up with a good excuse.

“You know what, you’re right, it  _doesn’t._  I should’ve asked.” Dean admitted after a brief silence. “It’s just that most of the time I’m working my ass off in that garage to pay the bills to get my brother through college. Don’t have money to spare to ever take a break, but going for a swim clears my head a little. Guess you could call it my daily getaway, that’s no excuse though… I swear it won’t happen again.”

As Castiel was still trying to make sense of everything, Dean was already turning around, giving Castiel an awkward wave goodbye.

“Dean,  _wait_!” Castiel called, causing the other man to stop in his tracks.

Dean turned around, green eyes wide and weary.

“Stay for a drink?” Castiel proposed, lowering the phone that served as his flashlight, blurting out the offer without giving himself time to properly think it through.

Castiel felt a strange rush of excitement when Dean’s answer was a quiet “Okay”.

~

The two of them were sitting at the edge of the pool, their toes touching the water as they talked over drinks. It was nearly two in the morning, but neither of them cared.

Castiel had told Dean some things about himself, and in return, he had learned a lot about Dean. About how his parents had both died, his mother back when Dean was still little, his father eight years ago due to an overdose of alcohol because he couldn’t cope with his wife’s death. Dean had been nineteen when his father had passed away, and he had dropped out of college and gotten a job, doing all of it to put his younger brother Sam through college instead, meanwhile making sure that they’d both have food and a roof over their heads.

Truth be told, Castiel had already more than forgiven Dean for his daily visits. Besides, Dean was right; Castiel never was around anyway, exactly the reason why he hadn’t busted Dean before.

“So yeah, things are getting better.” Dean mumbled as a conclusion to his life story. “One more year until Sammy graduates. The kid’s a genius, he’s gonna be one of those hotshot lawyers, so he’ll probably find a job in no time.”

They both remained silent for a bit, sitting so close that their sides were almost touching. After a while, Castiel tried to distract himself from the handsome shirtless man sitting beside him by starting up the conversation again.

“What you did for your brother is amazing, Dean…” He praised, then paused. “Just keep in mind that it’s also important to think about what’s best for  _you_.”

Dean snorted, and Castiel threw him a questioning look, confused at that reaction.

“You’re one to talk.” Dean elaborated. “Doing all the heavy lifting for your dad’s company so that your brother and sister won’t have to. When’s the last time  _you_  did something for yourself?”

Castiel sighed, admitting defeat. “I honestly can’t remember… But I did take a day off today, for the first time in three months.”

“Jeez, Cas. Impressive.” Dean mocked, playfully nudging his side. “I suppose we could  _both_ use a little fun every once in a while.”

For a second they held gazes, sharing timid smiles.

“You’re right…” Castiel agreed eventually. “What’s the point in life if you never have a chance to  _live_?”

~

The sun was rising early, announcing another bright, sunny day. Castiel smirked at Dean, who was splashing water at him as they were swimming around each other in some sort of unlikely dance. When Castiel tried to get back at him, Dean grabbed his wrists before he could strike, pulling Castiel close.

“Not fair.” Castiel managed to grumble before Dean brought their lips together in a heated kiss, a kiss just as delicious as the many other kisses that they’d shared by the poolside all night long, after their little talk.

As Dean deepened the kiss, throwing his arms around Castiel’s neck, Castiel heard the faint ringing of his cellphone in the distance. For a split second, he considered freeing himself from Dean’s grasp to dutifully answer the call…

Luckily, just in time, he remembered what they’d discussed last night.  _No point in being alive if you aren’t living._  Kissing back enthusiastically, Castiel wrapped his arms around Dean’s waist, ignoring the phone. The company could survive without him for one more day.

Apparently, Dean was much more observant than Castiel would’ve expected; when the phone stopped ringing, he gently whispered “that’s it, Cas, I’m  _proud_ of you” against Castiel’s lips.

Castiel graciously rewarded Dean with what had to be their best kiss yet. Things were going to change from now on. It was time to start  _living._

**Author's Note:**

> For more Destiel stories, go to destieldrabblesdaily.tumblr.com


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